Recharging Mondial 3.2 A/C with R-12

Here are a few photos of yesterday's adventure recharging my Mondi with R-12.

The entire challenge was finding the low pressure fill. It is not under the front bonnet as that would have been too easy. On the Mondial 3.2, it is located near the compressor on the more rearward A/C compressor hose which the low pressure side of the system and pointing upward. If your remove the airbox cover and rubber tube connecting piece, you can see what you are doing from the top side of the engine, so that you can see the low pressure nipple as to where to connect the charging hose. The first pic does not show the nipple at all, just where it is located under the metal air director from the outside air intake. You can get to it from under the Mondial, but without a lift, that is probably more challenging.

When we first connected the charging hose, there was some gas which came out, which was a great sign that there was no significant leak, as the system still had some R-12 in it.

The green tank is R-12, which was shaken and turned upside down and placed on a scale.

You start the engine and put the A/C on.

We ended up putting in about 1 lb 3 oz of R-12 in the system. My A/C guy suggested that we put in between one and two pounds. We were shooting for the left pressure gauge to be somewhere between 75 and 100. Took about seven minutes to fill.

The temperature probe in the center air vent went from 70-something to 56 degrees, with the car at a standstill just idling in the garage. Outside air temp last night in the upper 70s with high humidity.

Last pic shows where the condenser coil and fan is inside the driver's front wheel bay. Four screws hold on the metal panel which allows inspection of the fan and condenser coil. Once recharged, there was plenty of hot air coming out of the condenser then out of top hood left grill vents. We confirmed that the condenser coil was clean and condenser motor was running properly.

What a difference! Took for a spin last night and the air now coming out is VERY COLD! I'm very happy, and my A/C guy is especially happy because I let him drive my Ferrari for a while last night as well. First Ferrari he has ever driven. Great great night for both of us! Very psyched!

Hope this helps you guys.
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That's some great info Jay and the small details really count e.g. "Took about seven minutes to fill." Experienced A/C Techs wouldn't have given this a second thought.

 

Thanks Wade. Finding the low pressure fill is the whole challenge. In that first photo, you kinda get the idea where it is, based on the course that the red recharging line is taking. I don't want my Mondial/3x8 brothers wasting as much time as I did just trying to find it. It was so cold this morning, I had to turn it down! Yahtzee!

 

Nice write-up Jay. Wouldn't I love to have that bottle of r12!!!!
Dave

 

That's what I'm talking about!

 

Bad news. Car was cold for exactly 48 hours. And now the hole in the ozone layer is unfortunately bigger. Good thing I let the A/C guy with the R-12 take a spin in her. He's going to have to come back with that green container. Bummer! Good news is that the car did get ice cold, which tells me the compressor and all necessary plumbing was sorta good, although probably is leaking somewhere.

 

Major bummer!
Murphy probably felt the Yahtzee comment was over the top.
Dave

 

Jay this may be colder and be cheaper. The generator could go in your trunk with air ducts run to the dash.
http://blog.ivman.com/wp-content/RNCarAC.jpg

 

Hello Jay, I have done a lot of work on auto a/c systems and just finished up doing service work on my 348. The thing I have found is that you can still have some pressure left in the system while still having a leak. Since you now know you have a leak, the first thing to do is find it before pumping more and more R12 into the system. One source of leaks is any one (or more) of the orings that seal up each piping connection. They get hard and flattened out and lose their seal. You can pick up a pack of new orings for cheap. So after reclaiming the R12 that is left in the system, you need to go one connection at a time and replace the oring. I know this sounds like a lot of work but it can go faster than you think. The hardest ones to get to will be the ones on the inlet and outlet pipes on the compressor. While you are replacing the orings, you really need to replace the receiver/drier. It is the moisture filter of your a/c system. Once the deisccant in the drier is saturated, it will no longer do it's job and the performance of your a/c system will never be up to it's potential. I found a replacement drier for my 348 for $15. You can find the info on it in the parts interchange thread in the 348/355 section. It is a sticky post at the top. So now you have replaced the orings and drier. It is now time to pull a vacuum on your system for around 15 minutes. You need to be pulling at least 25 inches of mercury (on the low side gauge) for a good vacuum (30 is even better!). After 15 minutes, shut the gauge valves and shut off the vacuum pump. Make a note of the level of vacuum on the low side gauge. Hopefully it will be around 25 to 30 in of m. Wait 5 minutes and check it again. If there are no leaks, the vacuum level should not change. If it has not changed, then run the vacuum for another 15 to 30 minutes and charge with R12 and you should be good to go. If it has decreased at all, you still have a leak. Take a look at the pressure switch on the drier to check for oil residue. If you find it, replace the switch and schrader valve connected to it. If you still have a leak, then it is time to pull the compressor and replace the main seal. I found a seal kit for my 348 compressor for $25. After the seal is replaced and the compressor is installed, start the vacuum process again. Hopefully, there is no leak and you are ready to charge the system and enjoy. If there is still a leak, then you have a leak in either the condensor or evaporator coil. At that point, you should have a pro pressure test these coils and replace or repair the guilty party. For my 348, I charged the system with around 30 oz of R12 (2-1/2 cans). The ambient temp was 80 degrees with 40% humidity. I was getting 38 degrees out of the vent on recirc and low fan. I was getting around 45 psi on the low side and 275 on the high. Now, it will freeze me out on most days even up to 100 outside. I hope this info was helpful and good luck on your a/c repair. Thanks, Todd

 

You little stinker!

 

Thanks Todd. I have some work to do!

 

But it is well worth it!

 

Found the leak! Coming from the bottom of the dryer. There is some oil coming out. When we filled it up tonight, we heard gas leaking from there as well. At least this repair is easily accessible. Does anyone know if you can use a dryer that says 134 on it for R12 in the system instead?
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